According to the Authority, the companies may have coordinated to limit the mobility of automated packaging machine validation specialists.

Prompted by a complaint on its whistleblowing platform, the Italian Competition Authority has launched an investigation into the companies Akkodis Italy, Coesia, G.D, I.E.M.A., I.M.A., S.I.A. and SPAIQ over a possible anti-competitive agreement in the market for the recruitment of automated packaging machine validation specialists.

According to the Authority – in what is its first investigation into a restrictive agreement in the labour market – the companies seem to have coordinated so that none of them would hire automated machine validation specialists (for the processing and packaging of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, tea, coffee and tobacco) who had previously worked for at least one of the other companies. The Authority’s officials carried out inspections at the main premises of the companies, with the support of the Special Antitrust Unit of the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza).

Rome, 26 January 2026

Text of the decision